Painting Your House Before The Holidays, Hiring Professionals Vs Doing It Yourself (DIY)

Let’s face it - painting the exterior of your house is one of the most challenging things that one can do nowadays. Most of the people out there find the task extremely challenging and daunting - especially at the point when it requires climbing and extra work around the house.

If you live in Auckland and are planning on painting your house, you are faced with two options:

Do the painting yourself

Using a professional painting company

Nowadays, most of the homeowners choose to go with professional companies for their house painting needs or a renovation company if they're getting other things done as well - mostly because of the precise and guaranteed result. The truth is, professional painters are there to assist you and eliminate all of the frustration and annoyance that you would have if you try to do all of the painting yourself, and saves you from having to manage the painters.

Even though painting your home yourself may seem like a rewarding experience, hiring house painters can be even more rewarding knowing that you saved time and money throughout the process.

If you were to paint your home yourself, here is what you may need:

Extension pole

Lint-free cloth

Paintbrush

Paint pot

Putty and fillers

Roller Roller tray

Sandpaper

Tac rag

Turps

Brush cleaner

Dust mask

Gloves Masking tape

Paint stripper

Painter’s gloves

Pole sander

Putty knife Rags

Hot Weather Additive

Interior Paintwork Cleaner

Moss & Mould Killer

Paint Prep

House wash Scraper

Steel wool

Window scraper

With the growing popularity of do-it-yourself building and renovation television shows, it’s easy to think anyone can ‘slap on a coat of paint’ in a matter of minutes.

The reality is, a poor paint job that’s finished badly can reduce the sale price of your home or investment and add months to the time it takes to sell (and it really does stand out)

Engaging a skilled, registered painter will save you time and money and help achieve a stylish result that stands the test of time.

Here’s some tips to help you choose the right painter for your needs:

Get at least three comparable quotes. Give each painter and decorator the same description of work required and ask them to provide a formal estimate, in writing, including:

Preparation work to be undertaken

Quality of paint to be used

Estimated timeframe for completion

Itemised list of tasks to be done

Another thing to have in mind is the type of exterior surfaces. As you probably (don’t) know, not all of them are the same, and most of the exterior surfaces are complicated when it comes to painting.

Many are not aware, but the climate around your home is very important in deciding the number of coats/ and the type of paint to use.

For homeowners in North Shore Auckland, the area has largely temperate climate. While the far north has subtropical weather during summer, and south areas of North Shore can be as cold as -2 C in winter, most of Auckland lies close to the coast, which means mild temperatures, moderate rainfall, and abundant sunshine. Keeping in mind that when temperatures start dipping into the 50s or below, paints won't dry properly and it can cause big problems. Common issue to painting in cold weather are poor color uniformity.

On the other hand, if you use professionals painters in the North Shore, you won’t have to worry about a lot of this because it’s common practice, and through experience – they can see the best type of paint/ and best condition to paint. They will also have all the equipment and experience in dealing with all types of surfaces - whether they are tyrolean, roughcast or pebbledash.

Some of the best ways to make sure that you have hired the best company - includes:

Obtaining a couple of recommendations and seeing their past work/projects

Asking about their experience in the industry as well as experience with different painting projects

Looking for house painters in North Shore that can provide you with prices for small jobs in the future

Getting a full quote before hiring them – with a breakdown of what is to be done.

One of the first and most important questions to tackle when approaching an interior painting project is the number of coats you will need. The amount of paint you need to complete the project will be dictated by the number of coats you apply.

There are several online free paint calculators available to you as well to calculate the amount of paint required. Trying to figure out renovation costs nz per square metre can be very tricky, so instead, Check out this one from Dulux.

Several variables are at play when it comes to coats of paint that make it difficult to estimate exactly how much paint you will need, but here are some guidelines to follow:

Painting the same (or a very similar color) on an interior wall. Freshening your wall color is a simple and easy way to paint a room in your home. After properly washing the surface you will likely only need one coat of paint. Use a good brush or roller to evenly coat the wall. Once the paint dries, you should have an evenly colored surface that looks as good as new.
Painting a new color on an interior wall.The short answer to this question is, probably more than one. Of course, it depends on the original color that is being covered up and the new color you are using. Painting a dark or bold cover over a lighter color will likely only require two coats. Painting light over dark is a different story. Achieving a smooth, even color in this scenario could require up to six coats of paint.

Using a primer. You can bypass all the coats required for painting light over dark by using a primer. Primers are an affordable and easy way to mask the existing color of your wall, and they create a surface that your new paint will readily take to.

Painting Over Drywall

Painting over new walls or repaired areas of drywall requires a good primer. New drywall and the spackle used to smooth its seams is absorbent. Painting without a primer will require several coats, which can be time consuming and expensive. A primer will provide a paintable surface that will require one or two coats at the most.

Paint Quality

Paint quality is another important factor to consider. Cheap paint has lower performing ingredients and won’t perform as well as a high-quality paint. Ask yourself if you’d rather buy a more expensive paint that will require a few coats or cheaper paint that will require more coats and may never exhibit the finish you would get from high-quality paint.

Nowadays, there are even house painters that specialize in exterior house painting - as well as indoor painting specialists. They won’t do jobs like hanging wall papers or gloss windows or doors - but will focus on getting the painting job done quickly for you so your life can go back to normal in the quickest time possible.